Electric discharge device



NOV. :18, 1947. BEGGS 2,430,856

ELECTRIC DISCHARGE DEVICE Filed Jan. '26, 1946 Inventorv James B. Beggs, bymum His Attorney.

Patented Nov. 18, 1947 ELECTRIC DISCHARGE James E. Beggs, Schenectady, N. Y assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New, York Application January 26, 1946, Serial No. 643,665

.6 Claim 1 My invention relates to electric discharge de vices and more particularly to improved electrode, terminal and envelope constructions which facilitate assembly.

In my eopending application Serial No. 548,859, filed August .10, 1944, and assigned to the assignee of this invention, is described and claimed an electric discharge device having an envelope including a metal cylinder within which a cylindrical grid support is slidabl received so that the grid-anode spacing is readily adjusted during assembly. The present invention is in the nature .of an improvement on the disclosure of my aboveemen-tioned application, and while not limited thereto i particularly suited for use in multi-grid discharge devices.

It is an object of my invention to provide a new and improved electric discharge device.

It is another object of my invention to provide new and improved structures for electric discharge devices which facilitate the assembly of a plurality of electrodes in mutually insulated relation.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide an improved electric discharge device including a plurality of grids which is readily manufactured with the grid openings in alinement.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims. In the drawing. Fig. 1 is an elevational View, partially in section, of a partially assembled electric discharge de- Vice embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the grid assembly of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the discharge device of Fig. 1 with the grid electrodes in assembled relation in the tube envelope.

In the drawing I have illustrated my invention as embodied in an electric discharge device including a hollow insulator, such as a glass cylinder I, forming a part of the envelope. An anode 2, extending within the cylinder, is supported therefrom by a disk-like part 3 sealed to one end of the cylinder. The part 3 may to advantage be formed integrally with the anode 2 and with a cylindrical portion 4 extending from the outer edge thereof which forms the anode terminal of the device.

An apertured terminal member 5 is sealed to the lower end of the cylinder l and a second insulating cylinder 6 is sealed between the outer edge of the terminal 5 and the upper edge of a conducting cylinder 1. In a particular embodi- '2 ment ill s ratin he partsli, Ba d ea h forms a par of th e e ope oi he d ice and the parts 5 and 1 form mutually insulated terminals for a pair of electrodes or grids 8 and .9. Each of the grids includes a mesh or, in the particular m d e i l r d, a plural ty of paralle grid Wires Iil joined at their ends to a grid washer 11. The washer l l of rid 9 is u ported fro aninwardly directed flange [2 at the upper end of .a supporting grid cylinder J3. As illustrated in the drawing, the grid cylinder may to advan: tage be provided with a plurality of slots extending from its lower edge to provide a plurality of resilient sections l4 which serve to hold the grids in position in the discharge device during assembly. As illustrated in Fig. 1 the grids ll a d 9 e suppo ed on a c l nd i a u e I h vin an up a x en in .vane L6 wh ch tains the gri wir i lin ment prior o and during as m ly of the device.

material wh h r tains the in su ated. ela tion with respect to direct current voltages but which p rates as th die ect ic .Q a iby-pass capacitor with respect to high frequency voltages.

In Fig. 3 the device is shown With the grids in assembled relation. It will be noted that the grid Washer of the upper grid 13 engages the ,inr y roj c n ortion 1.8 o the termina me e 5 a d i upp rtedi m thes ti c linder I by means of the control grid and the insulating spacer ll. The cylindrical grid support I3 is Welded or otherwise bonded to the cylinder 1 which forms a part of the envelope and an externally accessible terminal for the control grid 9.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a cathode assembly may be supported from the lower edge of the grid cylinder 1 to complete the electrode assembly and the envelope of the device. The cathode construction may, for example, take the form illustrated in Fig. 3' of copending Koch application Serial No. 589,488, filed April 21, 1945, and assigned to the assignee of this invention.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the present invention provides an envelope and terminal structure which renders it possible to assemble a plurality of electrodes, particularly control electrodes, with the openings thereof in alinement and with externally accessible direct current connections. It will be apparent also that the electrodes are by-passed within the tube structure with respect to high frequency current.

While I have shown and described a particular T e grids are. separated by a disk or asher 11 of insulating 3 embodiment of my invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from my invention in its broader aspects, and

I, therefore, aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An electric discharge device includin a hollow insulator of generally circular cross section, an anode member supported from one end of said insulator, a second insulator, a metal terminal member sealed between adjacent ends of said insulators, a metal cylinder sealed to the other end of said second insulator, a control member positioned in contact with a portion of said terminal member extending within said second insulator, and a second control member supported from said metal cylinder, an insulating spacer interposed between said control members, said second control member engaging said insulating spacer to hold said first control electrode in assembled position,

2. An electric discharge device comprising a generally cylindrical insulator, an electrode sealed to said insulator and extending within said insulator, a second insulator, a metal member sealed between said insulators and including a portion extending inwardly from the inner wall of said second insulator, a pair of electrodes, and means sealed to said second insulator and supporting said control electrodes with one of said electrodes in contact with said terminal member.

3. An electric discharge device comprising an envelope including a wall of insulating material, a metal terminal member sealed through said wall and projecting inwardly into the interior of said envelope, a second terminal member sealed to said wall in spaced relation with respect to said first terminal, a pair of electrodes and an insulator positioned between said electrodes, means supporting one of said electrodes from said second terminal to clamp the other of said electrodes against the inwardly projecting portion of said first terminal member.

4. An electric discharge device including an insulator of generally circular cross section, an anode member supported from one end of said insulator, a second insulator, ametal terminal member sealed between adjacent ends of said insulators, a metal cylinder sealed to the other end of said second insulator, a control member positioned in contact with a portion of said terminal member extending within said second insulator, an insulating spacer, and a second control member including a cylindrical supporting portion secured to said metal cylinder and engaging said insulating spacer to hold said first control electrode in assembled position.

5. An electric discharge device comprising an envelope including a hollow insulator, an electrode having a surface exposed to the interior of said insulator and a portion sealed to one end thereof, a disk-like terminal sealed to the other end of said insulator and having a portion extending within said envelope, said envelope including a metal cylinder, a pair of planar control electrodes, an insulator positioned between said electrodes, and means supporting one of said control electrodes from said metal cylinder to hold the other of said control electrodes in engagement with said terminal.

6. An electric discharge device comprising an envelope, a terminal member including a portion extending into the interior of said envelope, a metal cylinder forming a part of said envelope and supported in insulated relation with respect to said terminal, a pair of planar control electrodes each having a plurality of openings therethrough, an insulating spacer positioned between said control electrodes, and means supporting one of said control electrodes from said cylinder in engagement with said spacer to hold said other control electrode in engagement with said terminal whereby the openings in said electrodes may be aligned during assembly.

JAMES E. BEGGS.

I REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,740,375 Simonds Dec. 17, 1929 2,164,910 Gaebel et a1. July 4, 1939 2,217,398 Baier Oct. 8, 1940 

